Support Available for Victorian Lockdown
The most recent outbreak of Covid-19 in Victoria has seen the re-introduction of restrictions for businesses and individuals. The Victorian Government has announced some packages targeted at businesses most impacted and the Commonwealth Government has announced a temporary payment available for those living in greater Melbourne. The details of these support measures are outlined below:
Temporary COVID Disaster Payment
The Federal Government has just announced a temporary COVID disaster payment that will be available to those living in greater Melbourne. The new disaster payment is available to those in greater Melbourne as the Federal Government has declared greater Melbourne a COVID-19 hot spot.
The Payments:
There are two tiers of the payment, they are as follows:
- $500 for those who would ordinarily work more than 20 hours per week.
- $325 for those who work fewer than 20 hours per week.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for this payment you must satisfy the following:
- You must be at least 17 years old.
- You must be an Australian citizen, resident or visa holder who is permitted to work in Australia.
- You must have been engaged in a paid work prior to the lockdown and are unable to earn income as a result of the lockdown.
- You must live or work in a declared federal hotspot. Greater Melbourne being in a lockdown for more than seven days is currently listed as a Commonwealth hotspot.
- You do not have to have used up all your annual leave, but must have ‘insufficient other entitlements’ such as pandemic sick leave.
- You must have less than $10,000 in ‘liquid assets’.
Please note that if you are receiving other kinds of support payments from the Commonwealth, such as JobSeeker, you will not be eligible for this payment.
How to Apply:
Application will be opened on 8 June 2021 (Tuesday). If you are eligible, you can claim this payment via myGov or Centrelink. More information will be available soon in the Centrelink website.
Circuit Breaker Business Support Package
Due to the restrictions announced on 27 May 2021, the Victorian Government has announced a Circuit Breaker Business Support Package aimed to assist small to medium businesses impacted by the restrictions. This package includes a Business Costs Assistance Program and a Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund.
Business Costs Assistance Program Round two
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, businesses must:
- be located within Victoria
- operate in an eligible sector listed in the list of eligible ANZSIC classes for this program
- have incurred direct costs because of the restrictions and cannot fully operate remotely
- have an annual Victorian payroll of up to $10 million in 2019-20 on an ungrouped basis
- have been registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Thursday 27 May 2021
- hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at Thursday 27 May 2021
- be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator.
- Employing businesses must also:
- be registered with WorkSafe Victoria
- attest that the business is supporting its workers to access any paid leave entitlements, or that if a person can work from home, to work from home during the circuit breaker action, and supporting their casual workers, where possible.
The requirement to be registered for GST does not apply if you are a not-for-profit organisation that is not registered for GST and has an annual turnover between $75,000 and $150,000.
Grant amount
Eligible businesses will receive a one-off payment of $2,500 or $5,000.
The grant amount payable to an eligible business is determined by:
- the business’ industry sector (Eligible ANZSIC classes)
- the business’ location:
- businesses that were subject to restrictions between 28 May 2021 up to and including 3 June 2021 will be eligible for funding of $2,500
- businesses that were subject to restrictions between 28 May 2021 up to and including 3 June 2021 and further restrictions from 4 June 2021 will be eligible for funding of $5,000
It is important that you review your ABN and ASIC registrations and ensure all details are current to avoid any delay with assessment.
Applications are now open and will remain open until 11:59pm on Thursday 24 June 2021. You can apply here.
Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund
This is a fund targeted at licensed hospitality venues. Eligible businesses can receive $3,500 per premises in regional Victoria and $7,000 per premises in metropolitan Melbourne.
Businesses can only receive a grant from either the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two or the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021, not both.
If you require assistance with the applications above, please do not hesitate to contact us.
